Allan Scharff

About

Allan Scharff is a renowned silversmith and designer based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with prestigious brands including Hans Hansen, Georg Jensen, and Holmegaard.

Educated in the traditional craft of hollowware silversmithing at Georg Jensen over a generation ago, Allan has been engaged in diverse and fascinating projects for renowned companies, private collectors, and clients worldwide.

Today, he works with advanced 3D design technology, enabling precise production across multiple materials including nylon, steel, brass, silver, gold, and platinum.

EDUCATION

1963–67 Apprenticeship as Hollowware Silversmith at Georg Jensen Silversmithy.
1973–75 Master at the Danish Institute for Precious Metals.

POSITIONS OF TRUST

2005 Jury member, The Jerwood Applied Arts Prize, London.
2003 Workshop at World Crafts Forum, Kanazawa, Japan.
2001 Jury member, Cheongju International Craft Competition, Korea.
2000– Associate of The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London.
1998–99 Member of Designfonden.
1996– Visiting Professor, Royal College of Art, London.
1995– Honorary Member of World Crafts Council.
1995 Jury member, "Jewellery Towards 2000", Copenhagen.
1993–96 Guest Lecturer, Royal College of Art, London.
1992 Jury member, 10th European Silver Triennale, Hanau.
1991–03 Designer for Holmegaard Glass.
1987–05 Designer for Georg Jensen Silversmith.
1987–99 Member of Society for Goldsmith Art.
1986–92 Member of Goldsmith High School Teaching Committee.
1986–89 Committee for Applied Arts, State Workshops for Art & Craft.
1978–97 Arts and Crafts Council, board member 1982–86.
1978–85 Guest Lecturer, Goldsmith High School.
1978–87 Designer for Hans Hansen Silver.
1976– Member of Danish Silversmiths.

AWARDS

2006 Dansk Metal's Initiative Prize
2004 Karl Gustav Hansen Prize, Denmark.
2002 LCEF Ecclesiastical Art Award, Los Angeles, USA.
1998 Kay Bojesen Prize, Denmark.
1995 Bavarian State Prize, Munich, Germany.
1993 World Crafts Council Europe Award, Antwerp, Belgium; Selected for the International Design Yearbook.
1987 Prize, International Aurifex, Hungary.
1986 Prize, Goldsmith Craft Competition.
1985 Prize, Scandinavian Diamond Today Competition, Finland.
1982 Prize, Goldsmith Craft Competition.
1981 Jens Kastrup-Olsen Memorial Fund.
1978 Johs. Krøier Fund.
1977 Povl Frigast Education Fund.

Applied Arts Prize medals: 1976 Silver; 1975 Bronze; 1967 Silver for Journeyman Work.

REPRESENTED IN

Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II, Private Collection.
Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA.
New Orleans Museum of Art, USA.
Die Neue Sammlung, Munich, Germany.
Museum of Art and Craft, Hamburg, Germany.
Grassi Museum, Leipzig, Germany.
Royal College of Art Collection, London, England.
Nordenfjeldske Museum of Decorative Arts, Trondheim, Norway.
Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen.
National Arts Foundation.
Sønderjylland Art Museum, Tønder.
Museum at Koldinghus, Kolding.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2008 "Birds in Flight", Gallery Wandall by the Wadden Sea.
2006 "Corpus", Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen.
2004 "Silversmith of the Year", Museum at Koldinghus, Kolding.
1998 "Sense of Nature", Georg Jensen Silversmith, travelling exhibition: Osaka, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Seoul, Singapore, Honolulu.
1997 Katz, Antwerp, Belgium.
1996 Galleria D'arte L'Agostiniana, Piazza del Popolo, Rome, Italy.
1995 "Free Birds", Royal Copenhagen, Amagertorv.
1989 Herning Art Museum, Herning.
1982 Art Gallery Boye, Aarhus.
1980 "Aviary", Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen.
1978 Herning Art Museum.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2009 "Cologne Fine Arts", Cologne, Germany; "Timeless Treasure", Häme Castle, Hämeenlinna, Finland; "Volle Kanne", Mainfränkisches Museum, Würzburg, Germany; "Collect" at Saatchi Gallery, London; "The True Pleasures of the Table", Koldinghus, Kolding; "WCC-Europe Award", Karlsruhe, Germany.

2008 "Montan" Collect at V&A, London; "Cologne Fine Arts", Cologne, Germany; "Treasure Hunt", Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen.

2007 "6 Danish Silversmiths", Collect at V&A, London; "Bienalen ZOOM", Trapholt Art Museum, Kolding; "Being", Danish Silversmiths at Kronborg, Helsingør; "Beaker by Beaker", Wasserschloss Klaffenbach, Chemnitz, Germany; "Cologne Fine Arts", Cologne, Germany.

2006 "6 Danish Silversmiths", Collect at V&A, London.

2005 "Five Silversmiths", Gallery Philippe Denys, Brussels, Belgium.

2004 "Danish Inspiration Today", Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kanazawa, Japan.

2003 "Crafts Now – 21 Artists Each from America, Europe and Asia", Kanazawa, Japan; "Therefore", Danish Crafts at Paustian, Copenhagen.

2002 "Masterpieces – State of the Applied Arts 1902–2002", Turin, Italy.

2000 "Danish Silver 2000", Museum at Koldinghus, Kolding.

1999 "Royal Silver", Museum of Art and Design, Helsinki, Finland; "Silver Needs No Polishing", Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen; "WCC-Europe Award for Contemporary Crafts 1992–1999", Handwerkskammer Rheinhessen, Germany; "Masters of Modernism", Handwerksmesse Munich, Germany.

1998 "Contemporary Danish Silver", Brøndsalen, Frederiksberg; "Branching Out", Museum of Decorative Arts (Design Museum), Copenhagen; "Modern Silver", Silberkammer am Hofburg, Vienna, Austria.

1997 "Scandinavia on Visit", Ka De We, Berlin, Germany.

1996 "Duplicate", Architecture Centre, Old Dock, Copenhagen.

1995 "Formative Craft", Munich, Germany; Sophienholm, Kgs. Lyngby; "From the Golden Age to the Present Day", City Art Center, Edinburgh, Scotland.

1994 "Trio", Viborg Cathedral Museum, Viborg.

1993 "A Sparkling Party", Antwerp, Belgium; "Twentieth Century Silver", Crafts Council, London; "Danish Glass", Glass Museum, Ebeltoft.

1991 "Royal Silver", Kensington Palace, London.

1990 "Nordform", Malmö, Sweden.

1989 Herning Art Museum; 9th European Silver Triennale, Hanau, Germany.

1988 "International Silversmith Master Workshop", Canberra, Australia; Guest at "Pro", Charlottenborg.

1987 Seibu Art Forum, Tokyo, Japan; Guest at "Pro", Charlottenborg.

1986 8th European Silver Triennale, Hanau, Germany.

1985 Tag Arts Gallery, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen; Handwerksform, Hanover, Germany.

1984 State Museum, Flensburg, Germany; Sønderjylland Art Museum, Tønder; Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen; Hjørring Art Museum.

1983 Marienlyst Castle, Helsingør; 7th European Silver Triennale, Hanau, Germany; Gallery F 15, Moss, Norway; "Scandinavian Today", New York, USA; The Danish House, Paris, France; Röhsska Museum of Arts and Crafts, Gothenburg, Sweden.

1981 De Zonnehof, Amersfoort, Netherlands; Marienlyst Castle, Helsingør; Sønderjylland Art Museum, Tønder.

1980 6th European Silver Triennale, Hanau, Germany.

1979 Herning Art Museum; Sønderjylland Art Museum, Tønder; Röhsska Museum of Arts and Crafts, Gothenburg, Sweden.

1978 Stockholm National Museum, Sweden; Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen; Marienlyst Castle, Helsingør.

1977 Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen; Sophienholm, Denmark; Nordenfjeldske Museum of Decorative Arts, Trondheim, Norway; Museum of Decorative Arts, Oslo, Norway; Western Arts and Crafts Museum, Bergen, Norway; Atelier Bernd Munsteiner, Idar-Oberstein, Germany.

1976 Odakyo Grand Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.